AWCN11 CWTO 260848
WEATHER SUMMARY FOR ALL OF SOUTHERN ONTARIO AND
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION
ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA TORONTO
AT 4:48 AM EDT WEDNESDAY 26 AUGUST 2009.
SUMMARY OF THE TORNADO OUTBREAK OVER ONTARIO ON AUGUST 20.
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==WEATHER EVENT DISCUSSION==
A TRIPLE BARRELLED SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK STRUCK ONTARIO LAST
THURSDAY.
SHORTLY AFTER NOON A SUPERCELL STORM DEVELOPED JUST SOUTH OF LAKE
HURON. THIS CELL TRACKED NORTHEASTWARD FOR A REMARKABLE 200 KM
PRODUCING THE DURHAM AND THORNBURY TORNADOES. THE STORM CELL
FINALLY WEAKENED OVER GEORGIAN BAY TOWARD EVENING.
AT THE SAME TIME A SQUALL LINE DEVELOPED OVER LOWER MICHIGAN THEN
TRACKED ACROSS SOUTHERN ONTARIO DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING
HOURS. THIS FEATURE PRODUCED STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE TO SEVERAL
LOCALES FROM WINDSOR TO WELL NORTHEAST OF TORONTO AS WELL AS THE
DESTRUCTIVE VAUGHAN AND NEWMARKET TORNADOES.
FINALLY IN THE EARLY EVENING ISOLATED SUPERCELL STORMS TRACKED
TO THE EAST OF GEORGIAN BAY. ONE TRACKED NORTHEASTWARD TO PRODUCE A
PROBABLE TORNADO OVER THE AREA BETWEEN ARNSTEIN AND NORTH BAY AS
WELL AS A WATERSPOUT OVER LAKE NIPISSING.
ANOTHER TORNADO TRACKED THROUGH THE GRAVENHURST AREA BEFORE LIFTING.
THIS STORM OR ONE NEAR SPAWNED A TORNADO THAT WENT THROUGH THE
REDSTONE LAKE AND KENNISIS LAKE DISTRICT. THIS BRINGS THE TOTAL THUS
FAR FOR THE AUGUST 20 STORMS TO 8 CONFIRMED TORNADOES, 1 PROBABLE
TORNADO AND 2 POSSIBLE TORNADOES.
THERE WAS ONE FATALITY WITH THE TORNADO IN THE SOUTH END OF DURHAM.
SEVERAL OF THE TORNADOES WERE RATED AS F2 DAMAGE ON THE FUJITA
SCALE. F2 DAMAGE IS EQUIVALENT TO WIND STRENGTH OF 180 TO 250 KM/H.
THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF TORNADOES AND ASSOCIATED DAMAGE ASSESSED
BY A TOTAL OF FIVE SEPARATE ENVIRONMENT CANADA STORM DAMAGE TEAMS.
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DATE
TORNADO LOCATION/PATH DAMAGE OVERVIEWTORNADO 1 5 KM SW OF DURHAM TO MARKDALE F2 TORNADO DAMAGE
(CONFIRMED) (ROUGHLY 20 KM) (SIGNIFICANT HOUSE
+ TRAILER DAMAGE,
TREES DOWN)TORNADO 2 FROM SOUTH OF THORNBURY TO THE F2 TORNADO DAMAGE
(CONFIRMED) SOUTHEAST OF THORNBURY (PATH (MANY TREES SNAPPED,
LENGTH UNKNOWN) GEORGIAN PEAKS SUSTAINED
DAMAGE, ROOFS REMOVED,
HOMES DAMAGED)TORNADO 3 WOODBRIDGE/VAUGHAN F2 TORNADO DAMAGE
(CONFIRMED) (SEVERAL KM LONG (HUNDREDS OF HOMES
+ 50 METRES WIDE) DAMAGED, TREES DOWN,
CARS FLIPPED)TORNADO 4 NEWMARKET AREA F1 TORNADO DAMAGE
(CONFIRMED) (HOCKEY ARENA ALMOST
DEMOLISHED, ROYAL
CANADIAN RIDING ACADEMY
SUSTAINED DAMAGE)TORNADO 5 GRAVENHURST AREA F0 TORNADO DAMAGE
(CONFIRMED) (PATH ABOUT 10 KM LONG (SHALLOW ROOTED
AND UP TO 1 KM WIDE) TREES DOWN)TORNADO 6 MILTON F1 TORNADO DAMAGE
(CONFIRMED) (LIGHT STANDARDS DOWN,
ROOF DAMAGE OF MEDICAL
CENTRE AND NEARBY HOTEL,
TREES AND FENCES DOWN,
MINOR HOME DAMAGE)TORNADO 7 HALIBURTON FOREST AND WILDLIFE F1 TORNADO DAMAGE (VERY
(CONFIRMED) CENTRE(NORTHWEST OF HALIBURTON) LARGE SWATH OF TREES
DAMAGED)TORNADO 8 REDSTONE LAKE F0 TORNADO DAMAGE
(CONFIRMED) (MINOR ROOF DAMAGE)TORNADO 9 ARNSTEIN TO RESTOULE TO NORTH WATERSPOUT/TORNADO
(PROBABLE) BAY (PATH LENGTH UNKNOWN AT SIGHTINGS (DAMAGE DETAILS
THIS TIME) UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME)TORNADO 10 CARLOW MAYO AREA (EAST OF FUNNEL CLOUD SIGHTING
(POSSIBLE) BANCROFT) (LARGE AREA OF TREE
DAMAGE)TORNADO 11 TURNIFF (SE OF BANCROFT) LARGE SWATH OF TREE(POSSIBLE) DAMAGE, AND HUNTING CABIN
DAMAGE.
ENVIRONMENT CANADA CONTINUES TO EVALUATE THE DAMAGE FROM THE STORMS
AND WILL UPDATE THIS MESSAGE AS NECESSARY.
END/OSPC